In network applications, the method commonly used by the conventional art uses adopting flow control or downgrading measures to resolve the effects on application systems of sudden abnormal traffic. For example, the conventional art can multi-dimensionally restrict client visitor requests via gateways to achieve the flow-control objective. Examples of restricting client visitor requests include restricting the number of visits per minute by each client IP, restricting the number of visits per minute by an API, or restricting the visit frequency of a user with regard to an Application Programming Interface (API).
According to conventional art, a flow control method generally uses a static flow-limiting strategy. For example, the conventional art uses direct configuration by a configuration system or configuration file. The conventional art uses fixed, invariable flow-limiting rules for flow control.
FIG. 1 is a system architecture diagram of a flow control system according to conventional art.
Referring to FIG. 1, system 100 for controlling flow of network traffic is provided. System 100 comprises client 102, gateway 104, application system 106, and storage for flow control rules 108.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, at step A, client 102 issues access requests to a gateway 104. At step B, gateway 104 acquires preconfigured flow control rules from storage for flow control rules 108. At step C, gateway 104 uses the preconfigured flow control rules to exercise flow-limiting control (e.g., over client 102). The gateway can exercise flow-limiting control by sending an error code (e.g., ‘Please try again later,’ etc.) to the client, or otherwise restricts the request. At step D, gateway 104 sends the access requests that were subjected to flow-limiting control to application system 106.
However, the system architecture of the conventional art can cause inefficiencies in connection with the control of the flow of network traffic. For example, system response times can be increased as a result of an API in a certain zone developing a problem or the internal stress of an access application program. In the case of the above, if flow continues to be limited according to the original fixed flow-limiting strategy, and if there is a large volume of access requests, the accessed application system may crash as a consequence of the above.
No effective solution has been put forward yet to address the technical problem of the conventional art, namely that the flow-limiting strategy is a fixed flow-limiting strategy that, in certain circumstances, causes a mismatch between the fixed flow-limiting strategy and the operating status of the business system, which in turn causes the business system to crash.